Aid for Mayon evacuees reaches P160 million

MANILA, Philippines — The government has spent more than P160 million to provide for the basic needs of families affected by Mayon Volcano’s unrest, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.

The NDRRMC said 3,474 people in various evacuation centers in Bicol have also received medical assistance.

The agency said the Department of Health conducted 4,431 consultations for common ailments from June 12 to July 12.

The NDRRMC said 9,867 families or 38,376 people have been affected by Mayon’s increased seismic activity.

At least 5,393 families or 18,828 people remain in 27 evacuation centers.

Families in permanent relocation sites across Albay are also being provided relief assistance, Albay Public Safety and Emergency Management Office chief Cedric Daep said.

“Technically, they should no longer be considered as evacuees because the government has provided them permanent houses in relocation sites away from the threat of Mayon’s eruption. But because their sources of livelihood are within the six-kilometer permanent danger zone, they are still proceeding to evacuation centers for food assistance when entry into the permanent danger zone is prohibited due to the eruption,” Daep said.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said very slow effusion of lava from the summit crater of Mayon continued to feed lava flows that stretched up to 2,800 meters and 1,400 meters in the Mi-isi (south) and Bonga (southeastern) gullies, respectively, in the past 24 hours.

Collapsed debris rolled down to 4,000 meters away from the crater.

Phivolcs said 10 pyroclastic density currents, 286 rockfall events, three volcanic earthquakes, plumes that rose 500 meters and sulfur dioxide emission of 1,582 tons were monitored.

Mayon has been under Alert Level 3 or relatively high level of unrest since June 7.

Phivolcs said this means hazardous eruption within weeks or days is still possible. — Cet Dematera